More than a year after suffering an ACL injury in the same arena, Jolina Dela Cruz conquered her fears and made a resounding return to the Philsports Arena, shining in her Farm Fresh debut at the 2024-25 Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference.
Dela Cruz didn’t miss a beat in her comeback, tallying 18 attacks and two blocks for a game-high 20 points, along with five excellent digs and five excellent receptions, as the Foxies secured a 25-22, 26-24, 25-21 victory over Nxled on Saturday.
The former La Salle standout admitted that shaking off the nerves and regaining her confidence was challenging, but she was determined to overcome both the mental and physical hurdles to help her team secure the win.
“Pagpasok ko kanina, nagpe-pray lang ako kasi nga kahapon, sabi ko dito ako na-injure sa Philsports,” said Dela Cruz, who sustained the injury on November 30, 2023, while still playing for the disbanded F2 Logistics.
“So like kanina medyo nung dumidipensa ako, inaano pa ako ni Coach Boc kasi alam niya ‘yung nangyari sakin ‘dito last year. Pero ayun nga, unti-unti nao-overcome ko ‘yung fear,” she added.
The former UAAP Best Outside Spiker tore the ACL in her right knee after twisting her leg during a failed dig attempt in the Cargo Movers’ match against PLDT in the 2023 Second All-Filipino Conference.
Dela Cruz later signed with the Foxies following F2 Logistics’ sudden disbandment at the end of the year before undergoing surgery in January 2024.
The 5-foot-9 outside hitter shared that her main focus right now is to stay healthy and continue being a key contributor for the young Foxies, who recently moved to a 3-3 standing.
“Exactly ano siya ngayon. ‘Yung surgery ko January 17 tapos 18 ngayon, sobrang sakto rin. Ayun, masaya na coming from an injury, ang priority ko ngayon is maging healthy ako and lagi akong makasama sa training. Sana lagi akong maging present sa games,” said Dela Cruz.
“Masaya and nakaka-miss talagang maramdaman ulit yung pressure. Like ‘yun nga, privilege siya and thank you rin kay coach Boc na binigyan niya kami ni Lorene (Toring) ng opportunity na makapaglaro ulit at makasama sa starters,” she added.
(C) PVL Images
Wiser and stronger after her injury, Dela Cruz reflected that her time away from the court as a spectator allowed her to gain a deeper understanding of the game, which she now aims to use to help Farm Fresh in the ongoing all-local tilt.
“Nung sa sidelines, nung nakaraan nanonood lang kami. Actually parang ano rin siya eh, naging opportunity din sa’min na naging observer kami sa labas so nakikita namin, ah ganito pala siguro dapat kung paano ‘to paluin, ganito siguro dapat,” she said.
“Parang ‘yun nga, opportunity siya para makapagaral pa kami so halos one year din ‘yun na nagaaral kami ni Lorene and ayun, sana nga ma-master pa namin.”
